Racist slurs

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

I understand the point, and I totally disagree with it.

Words have no meaning other than the message we wish to send with them. If someone says something not intended to be offensive but is percieved to be, that doesn't make that person abusive, racially or otherwise. It's a missunderstanding, and a racial element makes no difference. To say otherwise would be politically correct madness.

ok, im with you now!

I mostly agree with you

words are just words, its the sentiment that is important.

but it gets dificult with an issue such as rasism because it is still a very real issue and people can be very sencitive to it. so when someone makes a comment that has no racial motivation but it is perceived as, it dosent make the person rasist, but the effect on the recipiant is the same.

i dont think it has anything to do with political correctness, its just being nice. if you say somthing that is taken the wrong way, clarify your possition and thats it, no harm no foul. if the other person cant let it go, then why would you want to be around such a narrow minded indiviual anyway...

[Spiderman]

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Abuse is abuse. To make a distinction due to a racial motivation is to be politically correct. It becomes even more politically correct when you become 'outraged' on behalf of someone else. Especially when you don't know them. Oh, and when you wern't even there.

Being PC imho is when its pointlessly in favour of one side without looking at the problem as a whole.
If someone called me a name then trust me that i'm thick skinned enough to brush it off.
if they came at me with words regarding my background or heritage then they are clearly being biased by that alone and not just by me as a person.

like i said before the word monkey has no significance itself. If its thrown at a person who will take offence at it due to the colur of their skin and the connatations being made to do with that then its nothing but racism.

but as a white person who has probably never encountered racism yoursefl FS or if you have in very small doeses you CANT understand the feeling of being abused in this way.
I'm not having a go mate just saying it as it is. Ive never had a period so can only sympathise to a degree with girls on that front. See what i mean?

Originally Posted by DanDare

I think the point being made ( in a light hearted way ) was that the word ' Monkey' is seen as a rascist slur. So being called a 'Northern Monkey' should therefore carry with it the same ramification.

As I understand no one is offended by being called a Northern Monkey as its just the same as Southern Softy etc. So where is the line drawn.

Think you all need to chill out a bit.

I once refered to our programmers as "code monkeys" following a balls-up on their part. "Code monkeys" being intended to imply incompetence/ineptitude; almost as if the software was literally being written by monkeys. I suppose akin to a grease monkey being an unprofessional/lowly skilled mechanic. Many of our programmers are Indian, however, and a lot of people construed it as a racist comment, which it was never intended as.

As a Welshman in an almost exclusively English (and Indian) firm, I am often the butt of racist jokes, but I've yet to take offence at them as they are usually intended in good humour and not to cause offence. Personally I think the intent is what makes something racist, much more than the word itself (hence why 'boy' can be a racial slur and the 'you sheep-****ing ****er' can be a term of affection).

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

As a Welshman....

Im very sorry to hear that....

Originally Posted by pencil shavings

Im very sorry to hear that....

you see, the words themself arnt rasist. but if they were said with malice (which they werent - hence the smily face) then it could be a rasist remark!

Web monkey/grease monkey/northern monkey - all terms I have used in good fun! And living in a house full of southerners I am often the brunt of much pi$$taking and vice versa.

Any word said with malicious intent is going to have the expected effect, I'm sure if people tried hard enough (and frequently do) any word could be used for that purpose. This is unfortunately what has happened to the English language and now nobody knows what to say anymore. Look how much that palaver on that ridiculous Big Brother blew up!

oh for f**k sake oh mummy he called me a monkey/ spic/ wop/ ni**er/ coon/Honkey blah blah blah SO Fing what get over it.

Originally Posted by neio79

oh for f**k sake oh mummy he called me a monkey/ spic/ wop/ ni**er/ coon/Honkey blah blah blah SO Fing what get over it.

umm, i think youve really missed the point...........

[timwilky]

This reminds me of a nurse who got in trouble here recently, when she said "The trouble here is there are too many chiefs and not enough indians". An Indian nurse heard her and mad a complaint of racism. It had to be explained that it was not a racist slur, nor was it aimed at anyone from India etc. And it was a well use phrase to say there were too many bosses and not enough workers.

Originally Posted by Tildo

I called my best mate's grandson a little monkey cuz of his antics and got into a stupid argument because the little lad's dad was black.

unlucky

i,m no racist,but i get really pi**ed off with foreigners who come to this country for the so called easier life.Then if somebody says something they don,t agree with or things are,nt going their way they then pull out the racist card.
My advice is THIS IS ENGLAND and most of the time we are proud of our country if you don,t like how its run then F*** OFF somewhere else.